Career ladders provide the developmental, grade-building experiences that qualify employees for non-competitive promotion to the next level but also require them to meet one-year time-in-grade requirements and demonstrate the ability to perform at the next level.

Design principles and guidelines of effective career ladders are as follows: (1) a demand-driven workforce intermediary plays a leadership role; (2) career ladders acknowledge the needs of employers as the central determinant of required skills and training and build relationships among firms and providers of workforce development services; (3) career ladders demonstrate clear pathways entry-level, to intermediate level, to professional within a single firm or through a network of participating employers; and (4) career ladders provide pathways or structures for employers to "grow" or find workers that meet their business needs.

Teaching would gain some of the accoutrements of a profession, such as career ladders that enable teachers to gain in status and pay without leaving the classroom; master teachers would design training programs and supervise no vices.

These roles rob superintendents, principals and other district leaders of the staffing authority to shape a mission-driven faculty, and grant union leaders the power to short-circuit any reform efforts affecting teacher compensation or employment, including merit pay, differentiated staffing, alternative certification, career ladders and the like.

The National Clearinghouse, developed by the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute in cooperation with the Direct Care Alliance, conducts surveys and studies analyzing workforce issues such as recruitment and training, career ladders, staffing ratios, wage pass-throughs, and other vehicles for ensuring a quality working environment for direct-care workers.

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